I took my trusty temp gun outside this afternoon because I was planning to give a couple of torts a soak and wanted to check water temps. Our ambient temp was mid 80s. This is what I found:
Front walk, south exposure 120 degrees.
Dry soil, south exposure 112 degrees.
Shaded dry soil, south exposure 105 degrees.
Shaded plants in tortoise enclosure, south exposure 75 degrees.
Shaded dry soil in tortoise enclosure, south exposure 82 degrees.
My tortoise enclosures are on the south side of my house, but they are shaded by large old lilac bushes. The plants in the enclosures get watered deeply every other day. I was really surprised at the difference between that sheltered space and the walk/flower beds just a few feet away.
Front walk, south exposure 120 degrees.
Dry soil, south exposure 112 degrees.
Shaded dry soil, south exposure 105 degrees.
Shaded plants in tortoise enclosure, south exposure 75 degrees.
Shaded dry soil in tortoise enclosure, south exposure 82 degrees.
My tortoise enclosures are on the south side of my house, but they are shaded by large old lilac bushes. The plants in the enclosures get watered deeply every other day. I was really surprised at the difference between that sheltered space and the walk/flower beds just a few feet away.